Eight Women, Six New Routes in Greenland

Last summer, the Women's Young Alpinist Team of the Swiss Alpine Club journeyed to East Greenland—without ever boarding a plane—and they climbed six long new rock routes, four of them in a fjord never that had never been visited by climbers. Team leader Caro North is our main guest this episode, describing the logistical difficulties of organizing such a complex exploratory trip, especially with a team of expedition novices. Just getting there and back involved trains, ferries, cars, and a voyage by sail. Yet even though she was the most experienced climber in the group, Caro deliberately stepped back from the decision-making, letting the young team members plan and lead their routes—a rewarding tactic for Caro, but also one with some emotional challenges. To round out this episode, host Jim Aikman interviewed American Mike Libecki, who has done more exploratory rock climbing in East Greenland than anyone alive, including all of the early climbs in the second fjord the Swiss team visited. Enjoy!